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Howitzer 87mm
The 25-pounder Howitzer, roughly equivalent to a 105mm gun in other armies, was the standard for British field artillery before the war. Blessed with a high rate-of-fire for its caliber and using explosive shells, it possessed only an average range. The 25-pdr. is capable of hitting unidentified targets by firing over intervening obstacles. Effective against structures, concentrations of light troops, and enemy artillery, the fact that it's towed behind a truck makes it slow and requires a defensive deployment at a safe distance from the enemy. History The 25 pounder was the main field artillery weapon used by British Commonwealth and colonial infantry and armoured divisions of all types during the Second World War. Throughout the war each British-pattern infantry division was established with seventy-two 25 pounders, in three field artillery regiments. Armoured divisions eventually were standardized with two field artillery regiments, one of which was self-propelled (see below). Before mid-1940 each regiment had two batteries of twelve guns; after that date, each regiment had three batteries of eight guns each. In the late 1950s, the British Army reverted to batteries of six guns. Field artillery regiments had two batteries of 25 pounders and one of 5.5 inch guns. The early 18/25 pdrs had been towed in the field by the Light Dragon, a tracked vehicle derived from a light tank, and the Morris CDSW. Throughout most of the Second World War the 25 pounder was normally towed, with its limber, behind a 4x4 Field Artillery Tractor called a "Quad". These were manufactured by Morris, Guy and Karrier in England, and, in greater numbers, by Ford and Chevrolet in Canada. In the 1950s, the British Army replaced the various "Quads" with a new Bedford 3-ton gun tower fitted with a special to purpose body. In 1941, the British Army improvised a self-propelled 25 pounder named the Bishop, on the chassis of the Valentine tank. This mount was unsatisfactory, and was replaced in 1942 by the American M7 Priest. However, this complicated the supply of ammunition in the field, and was replaced in 1944 by the Sexton, which was designed and manufactured in Canada and mounted the 25 pounder on a Ram tank chassis. By World War II standards, the 25 pounder had a smaller calibre and lower shell weight than many other field artillery weapons, although it had longer range than most. (Most forces had entered the war with even smaller 75 mm designs but had quickly moved to 105 mm and larger weapons.) It was designed for the British practice of suppressive (neutralizing) fire, not destructive fire that had proved illusory in the early years of World War I. Nevertheless the 25 pounder was considered by all to be one of the best artillery pieces in use. The devastation caused by the gun (and the speed at which the British artillery control system could respond) in the North-West Europe Campaign of 1944–1945 made many German soldiers believe that the British had secretly deployed an automatic 25 pounder. Pros & Cons +It wil outrange any light artillery. -Although it is of bigger caliber than your average 75mm gun, it gets the same stats. -it costs twice the average of a light artillery piece but only really delivers a 400 meters buffer over them. Weapons Gallery Howitzer87_700.jpg|In-game information See also * Category:Light artillery Category:Artillery and anti-air base Category:1939 era